Decision COP III/5

Taking into account, in particular, paragraph 6 of decision II/6,

Recalling paragraph 6 of decision II/7, which emphasizes the importance of capacity/building and requests the interim financial mechanism under the convention to facilitate the urgent implementation of Articles 6 and 8 of the Convention by making available to developing country Parties financial resources for projects in a flexible and expeditious manner,

Recognizing that the Global Environment Facility, as stated in its Operational Principles for Development and Implementation of its Work Programme will maintain sufficient flexibility to respond to changing circumstances, including evolving guidance of the Conference of the Parties and experience gained from monitoring and evaluation activities,

Recognizing further that the Global Environment Facility, in its operational criteria for enabling activities for biodiversity, anticipates that these criteria will need to be reviewed and revised on the basis of early implementation experience, as necessary,

Recognizing progress made by the Global Environment Facility, in particular, concerning the Global Environment Facility decisions on medium-sized projects and enabling activities,

Recognizing also difficulties encountered with the application of the Operational Strategy of the Global Environment Facility, the project appraisal process, the application of the criteria for determining incremental costs and the procedures applied by the Implementing Agencies,

Recognizing further the need for a balanced implementation of the provisions of the Convention,

Taking note of the report of the Global Environment Facility to the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties, in which information was provided on the efforts to ensure that funding of its activities is in conformity with the policy, strategy, eligibility criteria and programme priorities of the Conference of the Parties, and in particular, the expedited procedures adopted for enabling activities in the biodiversity focal area,

1. Urges the Implementing Agencies of the Global Environment Facility to enhance cooperation to increase efforts to improve the processing and delivery systems of the Global Environment Facility;

3. Reconfirms the importance of the Global Environment Facility’s support for incentive measures, guidance for which was contained in Annex I to decision I/2, paragraph 4 (i), taking note of decision III/18;

4. Urges the Global Environment Facility, along with Governments, regional economic integration organizations, and competent international, regional and national organizations, to support human and institutional capacity-building programmes for Governments, non-governmental organizations and local and indigenous communities, as appropriate, to promote the successful development and implementation of legislative, administrative and policy measures and guidances on access to genetic resources, including scientific, technical, business, legal and management skills and capacities;

5. Requests the Global Environment Facility to examine the support of capacity-building projects for indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles related to the preservation and maintenance of their knowledge, innovations and practices relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity with their prior informed consent and their participation;